Sudden Reversals on TouchPad: A Ploy by HP?

Hewlett-Packard says it is manufacturing one last run of its TouchPad tablet to meet overwhelming demand ever since it declared plans to shelve the tablet and scrap its WebOS, weeks after its worldwide launch.

HP says that tablet liquidation sale was such a hit it is making some more tablets to liquidate, reported The New York Times.

We have been surprised by the enthusiastic response to the TouchPad price drop, despite announcing an end to manufacture WebOS hardware. We have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand, said Mark Budgell, HP social media strategist.

HP tablets, now sold at the discounted price of $99 for the 16 GB model and $149 for the model with 32 GB, have sold out fast and created a great demand. It did not sell until it was discounted.

A sudden change in the strategy of HP to pull its hand from the fastest-growing mobile computing sector has left its competitors wondering about its forthcoming plans and strategies. But now the announcement of a second lease on life and making more TouchPads has made its strategic plans quite clear.

HP had created a lot of buzz and excitement about webOS before its launch and even more with the announcement of its discontinuation.

It again topped the headlines when it reduced the price of its last set TouchPads, spurring a surge in demand.

Back-to-back shocking announcements from HP has left its competitors and analysts speculating that it is a planned strategy to increase its market demand.